Baby steps fixing an accordion. Thanks!

[xocd]

I recently acquired a relatively light instrument to practice on when my left shoulder is acting up. (My good accordion weighs a ton and a half.) It arrived with three stuck notes on the right hand side and one that makes a funny tap when it speaks (just at the beginning of the note).

After a lot of reading on this forum, I have managed to fix the stuck notes and to figure out that the tapping note has a curly leather (almost sure of that ).

I bought a cheap end cutter (from Harbor Freight here in the US), dulled the edges, as described, and took out the bellows pins (making sure pull along the pin with no levering ). Was careful to keep the pins in order so as to be able to replace them on the same holes. Figuring out how to locate the offending reeds took a minute or two. Then inserting an automotive feeling gauge under the reed and a bit of blowing was able to free the reeds.

This is an interesting instrument. The right hand side has just two voices, both in cassotto. The reeds are Cagnoni. It is not a top of the line instrument, but it is relatively light and the cheapest I could find with cassotto.

The next step is to fix the tapping note. As luck has it, the offending leather is on the outside. I have to figure out what tipe of glue to use and where to get the leather from.

Also, the very top note, in one direction, is about one semitone too high. I am not going there yet.

Thanks to the forum for all the good information!

It is about the simplest repair one can make but did save me a couple of hours of driving to visit our very own Jim D. (Hi Jim!) Jim is a fantastic resource to have relatively near me and in the past has helped me with a couple of recalcitrant instruments, but it is good not to have to bother him with minor stuff as I am sure he has better things to do on Saturday mornings.

 

[Glenn]

Good luck with your repairs. You are getting really well by the sound of it.
The top note being a semitone high sounds quite a lot. You don’t mention the key range but is it a note you need often?

 

[Geronimo]

The next step is to fix the tapping note. As luck has it, the offending leather is on the outside. I have to figure out what tipe of glue to use and where to get the leather from.

Pattex contact glue (nowadays its Classic I think) is typical. Also many valves can be salvaged by pulling them off, massaging and rolling them back and forth to suppleness, and regluing them.

Also, the very top note, in one direction, is about one semitone too high. I am not going there yet.

One semitone might mean that either its the wrong reed getting side air, or its broken and has not made the choice to fall off yet.

It is about the simplest repair one can make but did save me a couple of hours of driving to visit our very own Jim D. (Hi Jim!) Jim is a fantastic resource to have relatively near me and in the past has helped me with a couple of recalcitrant instruments, but it is good not to have to bother him with minor stuff as I am sure he has better things to do on Saturday mornings.

Cant speak for Jim but most repair men I know dont mind some easy money and/or finger exercise now and then instead of having to fight nail and clawhammer for it. But getting minor stuff in order certainly is a useful part of the skill set for an accordionist.